Net1 Announces Six Month Extension of SASSA Contract

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA--(Marketwire - Jan. 12, 2011) - Net 1 UEPS Technologies Inc. ("Net1" or the "Company") (NASDAQ:UEPS)(JSE:NT1) today announced a six month extension of its contract for the payment of social welfare grants with the South African Social Security Agency ("SASSA"), on the same terms and conditions as the existing agreement, which is scheduled to expire on March 31, 2011.

SASSA has indicated that it intends to commence with a new tender process shortly and has requested the six month extension to allow it to conclude the tender process.

Net1 provides its universal electronic payment system, or UEPS, as an alternative payment system for the unbanked and under-banked populations of developing economies. Net1's market-leading system enables the estimated four billion people who generally have limited or no access to a bank account, to enter affordably into electronic transactions with each other, government agencies, employers, merchants and other financial service providers. Net1's universal electronic payment system, or UEPS, uses smart cards that operate in real-time but offline, unlike traditional payment systems offered by major banking institutions that require immediate access through a communications network to a centralized computer. This offline capability means that users of the Net1 system can enter into transactions at any time with other card holders even in the most remote areas so long as a portable offline smart card reader is available. In addition to payments and purchases, UEPS can be used for banking, healthcare management, international money transfers, voting and identification.

Net1 also focuses on the development and provision of secure transaction technology, solutions and services and offers transaction processing, financial and clinical risk management solutions to both funders and providers of healthcare. Its core competencies around secure online transaction processing, cryptography and integrated circuit card (chip/smartcard) technologies are principally applied to electronic commerce transactions in the telecommunications, banking, retail, petroleum and utilities market sectors.

Net1 has a primary listing on the Nasdaq and a secondary listing on the JSE Limited.

Forward-Looking Statements

This announcement contains forward-looking statements that involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. A discussion of various factors that may cause the Company's actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed in such forward-looking statements are included in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company undertakes no obligation to revise any of these statements to reflect future circumstances or the occurrence of unanticipated events.